Episode 102: Thor, Phase 4, and a Lot More

 

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here -Thor: Love and Thunder - and your Planet 8 crew has a lot to say about it. And it ain't necessarily good. Much like the previous Thor film, this newest look at the God of Thunder takes a decidedly goofy slant. It's a little too goofy for our taste.

Beware -there are spoilers ahead! 

Not to say there aren't some interesting or exciting things in the film. There are. But the whole film feels so unbalanced that it's hard to appreciate  Christian Bale's performance as Gorr the God-Butcher, or Natalie Portman's appearance as Jane Foster, aka the Mighty Thor. Both of these characters have serious stories behind them; Gorr is a deeply grieving man, Jane is battling cancer. But they are undercut by the  absurd situations and performances that surround them.

We're not against humor. The Marvel films have always had humor in them. But typically it's been relegated to wise-cracking, not slapstick and utterly ridiculous situations. While some complain that Marvel films are too formulaic and there's no directorial freedom, in this case, it seems like Taika Waititi was given absolute free reign. Surely there's a happy medium, a balance between the serious and the absurd, formula and artistic license.

We move on from Thor to discuss Marvel Phase 4 and where it's going. What's the overarching plan? In Phase 3 we had Thanos and the Infinity Stones, what's the threat now? The multiverses colliding? It's also difficult to get excited when so many of our favorite characters are gone now. 

The conversation  takes us to the Disney Plus Marvel shows, and even some of the DC films. You just never know where it's gonna go with us!

For our Sensor Sweep, all you fans of both tiki and kaiju will want to know about the King Ghidorah tiki mug from Mondo ! This is a mug nearly as big as the three-headed monster himself.  It stands a whopping 8 3/4" high and holds 26 ounces! You can buy it for $65 at Mondoshop.com.

And don't forget Godzillafest is coming up in August! The Planet 8 crew will be at Creatures-Con August 7th, and Bob will be selling passes for Godzillafest for $10 off at our table. Be sure to come see us and the fabulous guests at Creatures-Con in Orinda, California, including author David J. Skal and Sarah Karloff! 

That's all for now. Let us know what you thought of Thor, our review, what's going on with Phase 4, and anything else!

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By the bristling beard of Odin!!

Episode 101: Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi

One of the most anticipated TV series in years has just concluded its first season, and there's been a lot of talk about it, especially between the members of Planet 8. We're talking, of course, about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars show on Disney Plus.

Picking up threads from the prequel trilogy and the Clone Wars series, the show follows up on a downtrodden Obi-Wan Kenobi, years after the devastation of the Jedi Order and the fall of the Republic. Obi-Wan lives an unremarkable life on Tatooine, making a living harvesting meat from gigantic desert beasts, and living in a cave not far from the Lars homestead, where he can watch over the young Luke Skywalker. However, through a turn of events, Obi-Wan is called back into service, and must ultimately confront his former friend and now greatest foe, Darth Vader.

One of the problems of doing a story like this, where you're dealing with events that take place in a character's past, is you know they can't be killed off or face serious physical jeopardy, so the focus is much more on their development and growth. The show managed to believably take us from a defeated, self-doubting Obi-Wan to one who has rediscovered his self-worth. It's rewarding to watch, mainly due to the wonderful acting skills of Ewan McGregor. He fully embodies the former Jedi knight and makes him relatable and sympathetic.

A true delight was the unexpected appearance of ten-year-old Princess Leia as portrayed by the marvelous Vivien Lyra Blair. She perfectly captured the spirit of Carrie Fisher's performance.

The introduction of the inquisitor Reva, played by newcomer Moses Ingram, brings to mind questions regarding how the Jedi council functioned -or didn't - and the idea of redemption and how that works in Star Wars. It seems like a person can be truly reprehensible but repent and then be completely redeemed. Does that make sense?

This series, along with Rogue One, helps establish Darth Vader as a true villain again. He and Obi-Wan have several encounters, with Ben getting the upper hand only at the end. The last battle also sets up their encounter in the original film, and explains Kenobi's somewhat cryptic remarks to Luke regarding his father. It's a bit of backwards dancing but it's done well.

All in all, we enjoyed the series. It provides some insight into established characters without breaking canon and gives us some new characters and developments that might allow for a season two. 

Our Sensor Sweep carries on the Star Wars theme, as Karen presents a fabulous book, Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. This hefty tome moves chronologically through the history of the Star Wars films, animated series, and The Mandalorian via interviews with the people who made them. It's a treasure trove of great stories and information for any Star Wars fan.

Big News: Your Planet 8 crew will be appearing live at Creatures Con! Held in Orinda, California on August 7,  all three of us -Larry, Bob, and Karen - will be hanging out at a table at the convention! The show is going to be a blast. This year author and film commentator David J. Skal will be a special guest, along with Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris Karloff,  and many others. The show is hosted by our good friend, Lord Blood-Rah, and  Tom Wyrsch, also friend of Planet 8. It's going to be a fantastic show, so please check it out. You can find all the info at http://www.creaturescon.com/. 

All right kids, that's it for this time. Please be good to each other and be safe!

Let us know what you think of Obi-Wan:

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Utinni!!